Identification of a user of an electronic device has long been either desirable or necessary, depending on the device and the particular environment in which the device is used. For example, access to a computer system or communication network is often strictly controlled or regulated, especially when the data accessible on such a system is of an extremely sensitive or confidential nature, such as corporate, financial, medical, or military records. Typically, the system being protected requires a prospective user to provide some proof of identity, such as a user name and/or password or other confidential data, before the user is granted to access the system.
Various circumstances, such as lost or forgotten passwords, stolen passwords, and other maladies, often lead to either an authorized user being denied access to a system, or an unauthorized user being granted access. Also, memorization and entry of user names and passwords, or other identifying information, is often considered tedious and overly time-consuming.
In response, alternative ways of securely identifying a user have been implemented or proposed. For example, the use of fingerprint scanners, retinal scanners, and similar devices which measure some user physical characteristic have been proposed to identify potential users to restrict access to a computer system to those authorized to do so. The use of such devices typically eliminates the need to enter a password or other identifying data, thus reducing the time required to access the secured system. However, some user-accessible systems may not involve the extremely sensitive or confidential data that warrant such intensive security measures.